US Senators Propose Broad Law To Address Chinese "Challenges"

US senators on Thursday (April 8) introduced a bill aimed at enabling the United States to face

posed by China, in particular by pinning the theft of intellectual property and by planning to strengthen ties between Washington and Taipei .

In a rare consensus in Congress, usually deeply divided, the Democratic leader of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and his Republican number two presented this text (“Strategic Competition Act”), which seeks to present a strategic framework for relations with China.

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Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the committee, hailed an

.

The bill describes sanctions as

at the disposal of the United States and is concerned that the executive

the measures already approved by Congress.

If passed, this law would require, among other things, the Secretary of State to submit annually a list of Chinese state-owned enterprises that have benefited from intellectual property theft to the detriment of a US company or industry.

It would also request an assessment report on rapes, abortions and other sexual violence perpetrated against Uyghurs, in addition to the reports already required on the imprisonments and ill-treatment inflicted on this Muslim and Turkish-speaking minority.

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Human rights organizations accuse Beijing of having interned more than a million Uyghurs since 2017 in political re-education centers.

Several countries, including the United States, speak of

.

The communist regime denies this figure and assures that they are

intended to keep the Uyghurs away from Islamism and separatism, after a series of attacks which have been attributed to them.

Beijing also rejects US accusations of widespread intellectual property theft.

This law would also reaffirm United States support for Taiwan, notably asking Washington to apply the

to the island as

to any other state.

However, the text would continue to officially recognize only Beijing.

China regards Taiwan as one of its provinces and threatens to use force in the event of a formal proclamation of independence or external intervention.

Washington is the island's most powerful ally.